A Reflection on ANUM: Qualifying Leads

Christopher Tuttle

I’m sure, if you’re a long time follower of The Sales Insider, that you’ve seen a blog or two on ANUM. Well this is a refresher course on what ANUM is, so buckle your seatbelts and hold on folks. We’ve got a crash course ahead!

One word of caution: make sure you are talking to the decision maker before you begin qualifying with ANUM.

The way ANUM breaks down is like this:

A = Authority. When you are talking to the decision maker, make sure to make note of what their title and function is so you can align their needs with your product. This will go a long way when you pitch to them! Hitting what matters to them shows you know what their pain points are.

N = Need. Make sure to find lists of companies in the target industry you’re seeking and their size.

U = Urgency. Keep up with companies and their latest news releases. If a sales rep is sensitive to the urgencies of companies it can seriously help the sales process. If a company has announced they are expanding their inside sales team or have a new vice president of sales, this could be a cue to contact them.

M = Money. Know where the money is. If a company is growing, recently announced a round of funding, or are older, more established companies then they have the funds.

A lot of sales professionals might be familiar with a qualifying model known as BANT. BANT is broken down to: Budget, Authority, Need and Timing. We believe the principles of BANT are correct, but the order is now a little different. ANUM is meant to provide a new way of looking at qualifying leads, replacing the outdated BANT.

If you are able to find a decision maker and your product fits the four parts of ANUM, then you’ve got it! ANUM is one of the great ways to qualify Leads. Do you know some others?